An unsuccessful foray into the OFC qualifiers last time has not left me disheartened, despite New Zealand turning 2.65 points worth of profit in 2 points loss in the 4th minute of injury time!
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Originally Posted by www.nzsoccer.com
MULLIGAN, CHRISTIE TO START AT WESTPAC STADIUM
NZF/November 20, 2007
WELLINGTON – David Mulligan has been rewarded for his late World Cup qualifying heroics in Port Vila with promotion to the All Whites’ starting XI for Wednesday night’s return leg against Vanuatu in Wellington.
The Scunthorpe United playmaker, whose 94th minute winner on Saturday enabled the unbeaten All Whites to open up a commanding five point buffer atop the Oceania Nations Cup standings after just two matches, has been added to a bolstered five-man midfield along with Wellington Phoenix utility Jeremy Christie.
They replace Chris James and James Pritchett in a reconfigured formation for New Zealand’s first World Cup qualifier at home since the 2-0 loss to the Socceroos – also at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium - on June 20, 2001.
Thai Airways All Whites coach Ricki Herbert is looking for his midfield to take Wednesday night’s game by the scruff of the neck after the bumpy Port Vila Stadium pitch proved an equaliser during Saturday’s 2-1 win.
“Their two front-runners are very pacy so hopefully if we can flood the central areas we can get a bit more ball and dictate play a little more,” Herbert said.
“It was difficult to get it down and move it from one side to other in the middle of the Park in Port Vila.”
New Zealand will play with a back three of Ivan Vicelich, Ben Sigmund and Andy Boyens. Herbert has also pushed Perth Glory winger Leo Bertos into a more attacking role alongside Shane Smeltz who was named New Zealand Football’s international player of 2007 on Monday night to cap a memorable run which has included four goals in his last three internationals and one each in the All Whites two qualifiers to date.
“I think with Leo in there it will give us better shape and keep Shane forward. With the form Shane is in at the moment we want to get him into better goal scoring positions,” Herbert said.
Smeltz suffered a corked thigh on Saturday but is expected to play. However, there is a question mark over the fitness of Port Vila debutant Daniel Ellensohn who suffered a knee injury not long after coming on.
Herbert knows New Zealand can take a major step towards the Oceania title – which earns automatic qualification for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and a home and away World Cup playoff against Asia’s fifth-ranked team - with a third successive win on Wednesday.
He admits it will be nice to be at home on the carpet-like surface at Westpac Stadium after two tough away ties in Lautoka and Port Vila.
“I was saying to the guys today it seems to have been forever since we’ve played a qualifier at home. With that comes some decent responsibility…it would be nice to have a decent performance but at the end of the day World Cup football is about winning.”
Kickoff is 6pm.
Thai Airways All Whites: Mark Paston (GK), Ivan Vicelich, Ben Sigmund, Andy Boyens, Jeremy Christie, David Mulligan, Tim Brown (captain), Duncan Oughton, Tony Lochhead, Leo Bertos, Shane Smeltz.
Substitutes: Jacob Spoonley (RGK), James Pritchett, Chris James, Jeff Campbell, Jarrod Smith, Daniel Ellensohn.
By HARRIS CHOY - NZPA | Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Vanuatu have bolstered their midfield with some young, fresh legs and hope to surprise New Zealand with an all-out attacking game in tonight's return soccer World Cup qualifier in Wellington.
In the absence of three players who were in last Saturday's team but unable to travel because of work commitments, the islanders have replaced them with youngsters and will enter the 6pm kickoff at Westpac Stadium with a strong emphasis on attack.
"We won't forget about our defence, but the idea would be to push upfield as much as possible because we have to score to win and we want to win this one to have any chance of knocking New Zealand off the top spot," Vanuatu captain Fedy Vava said.
"We pushed New Zealand all the way at home and we're quite confident we're capable of beating them now. Our attitude is `win'. I think we play more confidently with that attitude, it's more natural to us."
The All Whites beat Vanuatu 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal by replacement David Mulligan in Port Vila to open a five-point buffer at the top of this four-team Oceania group competition.
Fiji, who lost to New Zealand in the opening round, were held to a 3-3 draw by New Caledonia and the two teams will also square off today.
An All Whites' victory will almost guarantee them the top spot and with it an automatic passage to the Confederations Cup finals in South Africa in 2009 and a home and away playoff with the fifth-ranked Asian side for a 2010 World Cup spot.
While Vanuatu have brought in 21 and 22-year-old Francis Sakama and Rickson Tari as midfield replacements for Pita David Maki and Alphonse Qorig respectively, New Zealand have revamped and reconfigured their midfield with a five-man formation.
Mulligan, rewarded for his heroics in Port Vila, and Wellington Phoenix utility Jeremy Christie come in for Chris James and James Pritchett alongside Tony Lochhead, captain Tim Brown and Duncan Oughton to provide more ammunition for their two-pronged attack of Leo Bertos and Shane Smeltz.
Coach Ricki Herbert hopes the plan will also test Vanuatu's defence on the flanks.
"Their two front runners are very pacy, so hopefully if we can flood the central areas we can get a bit more ball and dictate play a little more," he said.
Ivan Vicelich, Ben Sigmund – who impressed Herbert on Saturday – and Andy Boyens will make up the back three.
The match is the first World Cup qualifier at home for New Zealand since the 2-0 loss to Australia, also in Wellington, in June 2001.
"I think the public kind of want to see you back on the world stage and that means you work through these ones (games).
"It would be great to get back to those sorts (international) of arenas but to do that you've got to be careful with these countries (Oceania), be respectful of these teams."
Vanuatu stunned New Zealand 4-2 in a similar Oceania Nations Cup match in Adelaide in June 2004 and that result has kept the All Whites alert in this series.
NZ: Mark Paston, Ivan Vicelich, Ben Sigmund, Andy Boyens, Jeremy Christie, David Mulligan, Tim Brown (captain), Duncan Oughton, Tony Lochhead, Leo Bertos, Shane Smeltz. Substitutes: Jacob Spoonley, James Pritchett, Chris James, Jeff Campbell, Jarrod Smith, Daniel Ellensohn.
Newly crowned New Zealand player of the year Shane Smeltz is confident he will be fit to lead the All Whites' attack in tonight's World Cup qualifying match against Vanuatu at Wellington Stadium.
Smeltz - who beat English premier league star Ryan Nelsen and Celtic striker Chris Killen to win the international award at the New Zealand Football prizegiving on Monday - said yesterday that he was almost over the bruised leg which forced him off the field in the 2-1 win over Vanuatu in Port Vila last Saturday. "I trained fully yesterday and at this stage I will be fine," he said.
Smeltz, who has scored four goals in his last three internationals and netted five A-League goals for the Wellington Phoenix, will be partnered up front tonight by Leo Bertos.
All Whites coach and Phoenix boss Ricki Herbert will have striker Jarrod Smith on the bench as cover for Smeltz.
Herbert has made two changes from the Port Vila match, with Jeremy Christie coming in for right-back James Pritchett. English-based professional David Mulligan has been rewarded for scoring the winner in Vanuatu with a start in midfield at the expense of Chris James.
Herbert said the All Whites would switch from a 4-4-2 formation to 3-5-2 "with three at the back".
Ben Sigmund - named on Monday as the New Zealand Football Championship player of the year - will line up in defence alongside Andy Boyens and Ivan Vicelich, who started incentral midfield in Port Vila.
Another strong performance by Sigmund - man of the matchin Port Vila - could see the former Canterbury United skipper secure an A-League contract. He would almost certainly be on the Phoenix's books now had he not been stymied by the Fifa rule restricting players to two clubs in a 12-month period. Sigmund has represented Auckland City and Melbourne's Fawkner Blues in 2007.
But Herbert has made no secret of his admiration for Sigmund and would consider him carefully if he became eligible in the A-League's January transfer window.
With the All Whites' switch to a three-defender system, Christie will play on the right side of the midfield mix. Skipper Tim Brown will be joined in the centre by Mulligan and Duncan Oughton in the middle, and Tony Lochhead - in excellent form for the All Whites and the Phoenix - will roam down the left.
Striker Daniel Ellensohn, who made his All Whites debut off the bench in Vanuatu, is injured and doubtful but Herbert will not be calling in a replacement.
The All Whites lead the Oceania group with six points from two matches - five ahead of Fiji and New Caledonia - and are mindful that victory tonight would put them in the box seat to win a place in the Confederations Cup finals and advance to the 2010 World Cup play-offs against the fifth-ranked Asian team.
Herbert said the truer surface in Wellington should suit the All Whites better than the bumpy pitch in Port Vila, but he warned Vanuatu were "quite good, technically" and "won't be easy".
All Whites' starting line-up: Mark Paston (gk), Ben Sigmund, Andy Boyens, Ivan Vicelich, Jeremy Christie, Tim Brown (captain),Duncan Oughton, David Mulligan, Tony Lochhead, Shane Smeltz, Leo Bertos. Reserves: Jacob Spoonley (gk), James Pritchett, Jeff Campbell, Chris James, Jarrod Smith, Daniel Ellensohn (subject to fitness).
Pita Rabo in action against the New Zealand All Whites during their OFC World cup qualifying match.
NEW Zealand-based Pita Rabo will wear the captain's armband when Fiji takes on New Caledonia in the return match of the Oceania Football Confederation World Cup qualifiers in Noumea today.
Rabo replaces Peni Finau who failed to make the trip after picking up his second yellow card in the series.
National coach Juan Carlos Buzzetti has roped in Navua's Siga Ali, Ba's Jone Vesikula, Suva's Samuela Vula and New Zealand based Johnny Rao as back up after losing six key players because of injury and work commitments.
The team left for Noumea yesterday confident of bouncing back from its shock 3-all draw against New Caledonia in Ba last Saturday.
However, Buzzetti admitted the task of staying in contention for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has become tougher.
He said the national side is in a must win situation.
"We cannot afford to lose concentration like we did in Ba," Buzzetti said.
"New Caledonia will be a different team. They will have the home crowd support. It will be a tough match. But we have to win it t all cost."
New Caledonia will be boosted with the return of its inspirational captain Pierre Wajoka.
He has served a one match ban after picking up two yellow cards in first stage of the OFC playoffs.
New Caledonia coach Didier Chambaron said his team will be strengthened with the return of several of its top players who missed out the trip to Fiji due to club commitments.
Chambaron said he is looking for an improved performance from his players today.
Fiji lost to New Zealand 2-0 in its first match in Lautoka last month.
By Tony Smith in Wellington - The Press | Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Most of the Vanuatu football team are unemployed and can barely afford boots. Their coach arrives in New Zealand today only hours before the World Cup match minus three key players who do have jobs but cannot travel due to work commitments.
But the Pacific Islanders still believe they can beat the All Whites in Wellington tonight.
"They are very confident. It may be a different environment over here, but they held their own against the All Whites on Saturday (in Port Vila)," said team manager and Vanuatu Football Federation secretary George Iapson.
"It was disappointing to lose to a last-minute goal; it should have been a draw, at least, and they want to go one better this time. They want to go away with a win."
Football is Vanuatu's national sport. Children kick balls around the streets and villages, but the nation has just 1000 registered players and 22 clubs -- all based in the capital Port Vila. Rival clubs share practice grounds. Ten of tonight's squad play for Tafea FC, Vanuatu's national champion for the last 13 seasons.
All those titles were won under coach Robert Calvo, who doubles as coach of the national team. But Calvo is a businessman and will not travel to Wellington until today.
"Our players are not even semi-professionals, they're all weekend players. It's a real struggle to play soccer in Vanuatu. You wonder why they play at all, but they do play every weekend. They don't get any money, any travel allowance or anything. Some of them have to walk or travel at their own expense," Iapson said, adding that "only five or six are employed".
One is a brewery worker, a goalkeeper is a sports development officer, two others toil in a supermarket and another has a job at a hotel.
Veteran defender Ephraim Kalorib is a policeman who retired from football for a couple of seasons but returned as a physical trainer.
"But he proved to be fitter than the players so he's here now," Iapson said.
"He was outrunning the boys and still kicking the ball quite well. If he had come on in Port Vila, New Zealand would have lost. The coach made the wrong substitute."
However, Iapson said coach Calvo was "under a lot of pressure". "He didn't only have the job as national coach, he also had a job as venue director. He assisted me in organising the match even up until the morning (of the game)."
Good jobs are scarce in Vanuatu -- hence the team's high unemployment rate. Iapson says some former Vanuatu internationals have been forced to take seasonal contracts in the fruit industry in the South Island.
Only one Vanuatu player, striker Seule Saramon, who playedfor Suva in Fiji, has had recent overseas experience. But Iapsonsaid goalkeeper Chikau Mansale -- injured against the AllWhites last Saturday but fit to play tonight -- is an outstandingtalent.
He hopes his players will be in the shop window tonight.
REWA defender Samuela Vula has answered an SOS call to join the injury-hit national soccer team for the Oceania World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia in Noumea tomorrow.
Vula has left family commitments behind to join the team.
The 24-year-old replaces captain Peni Finau, who picked up his second yellow card in the 3-all draw against New Caledonia at Govind Park in Ba last Saturday.
"That's the reason (family commitments) he didn't play last week. We called him on Sunday to join the team," national football coach Juan Carlos Buzzetti said.
"He has put his country before his family. We are happy that he has shown true commitment because we need him as cover for Finau."
The national team leaves the country for Noumea this morning minus key players Malakai Tiwa, Josaia Bukalidi, Peni Finau, Simione Tamanisau, Pene Erenio and Salesh Kumar.
Australia-based former Fiji captain Esala Masi has turned down an offer to join the side.
Buzzetti will take 18 players to Noumea.
He said training at the Doctor Sahu Khan Football academy has been to a limit with most players on the injury list.
"We can't do any hard training because we can't afford to lose any player at this time," Buzzetti said.
"Right now, everyone needs patching up because of injuries sustained before and after the match against New Caledonia.
"Players are still recovering and I'm hoping we don't lose anyone through injury before the match. It's really a difficult situation."
He said fitness was a problem in the team because of the injuries.
"You cannot afford to play the full duration because at the end we would have no players to play.
"We are travelling to New Caledonia and some players will not last that game."
Fiji threw away a 2-0 lead early in the match to end 3-all at fulltime.
Buzzetti said the players had learnt a lot and were expecting the hosts to be a stronger team.
"Most of their key players did not play last Saturday and we expect them to be available for the next match," Buzzetti said.
"We need to cut down on the spaces and limit the possession and challenge them upfront." Fiji lost the first cup qualifier 0-2 against New Zealand.
As much as I'd love to see Vanuatu take something off the mighty All Whites, the loss of three key players is likely to hit them quite hard. Having said that, they did record a 4-2 win in the 2004 qualifiers so you never know!
However, I am getting involved in the New Caledonia v Fiji game.
The 3-3 draw between these teams in Fiji was achieved when Fiji were decimated by injuries to key players. However, what I didn't know at the time was that several of the New Caledonia players were unable to travel to Fiji due to work commitments.
For the return games, Fiji are still missing those key players and have also lost captain Peni Finau to suspension. However, New Caledonia will be near full strength as the players that missed the first game will be able to play.
New Caledonia v Fiji @ 1.83 (Bet365) - 5/10 points
Oceania (OFC) World Cup Qualifying - 21st Nov
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